The Italian Cultural Institute in Oslo presents "White Fades", a contemporary art exhibition dedicated to the aesthetic research of the Italian artist Roberto Ghezzi. The project involves multiple partners in the shared wish to spread and address environmental and ecological issues through the poetic and critical filter of art.
The peculiarity of Roberto Ghezzi’s research is that of producing artistic works by limiting his direct intervention as much as possible. In fact, through a careful preparatory process, he ensures that natural phenomena and elements – such as water, air and ice – leave their traces on different types of fabrics, in an attempt to give voice to nature and let it express freely.
These natural traces collected but not manipulated by the artist, are thus transformed into a sort of sample or report that can also be analysed scientifically.
The works presented in this exhibition were created by Ghezzi during two artistic residencies in Tassilaq – Greenland (2022) and on the Svalbard Islands – Norway (2023). In both experiences the artist allowed the melting ice itself to mark the canvas, and therefore produce his works. In the first case, the final outcome consisted in a series of cyanotypes; in the second one, it is an edited video filmed by cameras floating on streams of melting ice. Furthermore, the exhibition includes cyanotypes of landscapes documenting the places he crossed, and some notebooks with his notes and sketches.
The exhibition is an opportunity to not only immerse ourselves in the contemplation of artistic works of undoubted aesthetic fascination, but also to reflect on climate change and question ourselves about human actions.
Roberto Ghezzi’s research and projects are supported by the scientific contribution of the CNR-ISP, Italian National Research Council – Institute of Polar Sciences.